Torsionally flexible mine car



April 9, 1968 H. F. FLOWERS TORSIONALLY FLEXIBLE MINE CAR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 27, 1965 INVENTOR HENRY FORT FLOWERS April 9, 1968 Filed Aug. 27, 1965 H. F. FLOWERS TORSIONALLY FLEXIBLE MINE CAR 3 Sheets-Sheet I:

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TORSIONALLY FLEXIBLE MINE CAR Filed Mg 2 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 HENRY FORT FLOWERS L/ hMMW X ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,376,832 TORSIONALLY FLEXIBLE MINE CAR Henry Fort Flowers, 3023 DelMonte Drive,

Houston, Tex. 77019 Filed Aug. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 483,105 4 Claims. (Cl. 105-364) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to a mine car mounted on four independently tracka'ble truck units, the caribeing provided with an inwardly extending ribadja-cnt its upper periphery, formed of sloping sidewalls and a vertical center wall, with corner tie members connecting ribs of adjacent side and end walls. The car is particularly designed for torsional flexibility, having flexible sidewalls and a bottom wall comprising two half bottom wall portions which are relatively movable, to one another. The bottom wall portions are movable, in that they have centrally disposed inwardly upturned flange portions which are in contacting relation to one another, and are either slidable against one another, or are welded at their uppermost points and are sutficiently flexible to permit relative movement, one to the other.

The following specification relates to an improvement in a torsionally flexible mine car. Such cars'and also open railway cars are particularly adapted to the transport of coal, ores, sand, gravel and other miscellaneous raw materials.

The road bed and track provided for the transport of such material are of relatively temporary character. The grade is uneven, and quite frequently the tracks are not level, that is, in the same horizontal plane. When these materials are transported, they are generally discharged by inverting the car over a chute or hopper.

In the case of coal being mined, it is customary to drench the material with water in order to lay the dust and avoid of spontaneous combustion. The result of this is that the material is wet and its discharge is impaired. Quite frequently some of the load is held in the corners of the vehicle. The improved dump car is designed to provide torsionally flexible construction. In this way the wheels of the car are allowed to follow an uneven track and, therefore, there is less risk of derailment.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide torsional flexibility for the car, so that the wheels will follow an uneven track without derailment.

A further object of the invention is to provide flexibility, not only during transport, but also during discharge so that the conglomerate load, even though wet,

will be discharged in an improved manner by reason of the lateral flexion of the side walls of the car.

One of the objects of the invention is to reduce the thickness of the metal plates from which the car is fabricared, but maintain desired strength by reason of improved interconnection of parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide protection for the side walls and ends so that there will be no outward bulging due to the burden of the load. This will be the case even in the inversion for dumping.v

An important object of the invention is also to provide freedom of relative movement between the two parts of the car bottom so that torsional flexibility is provided and relative movement can occur without disturbance of the load.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the improved torsionally flexible mine car, the same being shown in a twisted condition.

FIGURE 2 isa right end elevation of the car in the twisted position illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 on FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 4-4 on FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 5-5 on FIGURE 3.

FIGURE. 6 isa partial side elevation illustrating an end of the vehicle in a twisted position over a depressed track portion.

An open-bodied dump car of a flat bottom type and generally designated 11 is shown on the drawings. This car is disposed to run upon trackage 12. The track, in some usages, may be uneven in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIGURE 6, or in many instances may have a lateral tilt, as shown in FIGURE 2.

Cars of this type are mounted upon opposite trucks 13, 13. See FIGURE 5. These trucks have been shown, for purposes of example, as axleless trucks and the opposed pairs of wheels are independent of each other.

A car end 14 is supported by each opposed pair of axleless trucks 13. It will be readily understood that other known forms of trucks may be used. Car sides 15 extend between ends 14.

Bottom end sections 16 form parts of each end 14. These bottom end sections 16 are welded, riveted or otherwise fastened to the bottom edges of the car sides 15.

The bottom end sections 16 have transverse sills 17. These contain the king posts 18. There is one king post over each individual truck section, as shown in FIGURES 3, 5 and 6. Both sill 17 and king posts 18 are rigidly attached to the bottom section 16, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 6. The connection of the king post 18 to the truck 13 is in the form'of a gimbal or part cylindrical bearing 19. Within each bearing there is provided a plurality of springs 20 resiliently supporting the respective end of the car, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 6. i

Spaced somewhat below the upper edges of the sidesand ends, the car body ends 14 and sides 15 are indented to form an inwardly directed rib 21. This rib is generally triangular, U-shaped or channel shaped in cross-section. Each such rib has an upper slope 22 extending inwardly and down. Below each slope 22 is a vertical portion 23. Each vertical portion 23 merges into an outward and ,downward. slope 24, which in turn merges into one of the ends 14 or sides 15.

Corner angles 25 are provided where the ribs of they sides and ends meet, as best shown in FIGURES 1, .2 and 6.

Beneath each car side 15 there is provided floor plate means or floor plates 26. The outer edges of the floor plates 26 are welded or otherwise attached to the lower edges of the car sides 15, as shown at 27.

Each floor plate 26 is in the form of an inverted U, and thus provides a channel or compartment while the overall transverse cross-sectional configuration of both floor plates 26, 26 is generally W-shaped (FIGURE 4). Where the floor plates meet at the center of the car, they have upturned sides 28, 28 defining an inverted V-shaped longitudinally disposed center flange (unnumbered). The upper edges of these side plates are pressed together by means of the resilience of the metal, as shown in FIGURE 4. The upper edges of the upturned sides 28, 28 may be joined by welding 28a, or they may be left not connected, but free for relative shifting movement. Even if left not connected by welding, the upper edges fit together so closely as to prevent escape of the contained material.

The trough like ends of the floor plates 26 are closed, as shown in FIGURE 3, by end walls 29. These are rigidly attached by' welding or otherwise to the bottom end wall sections 16, 16. The center flanges 28 are likewise rigidly attached to these end walls 29. N

In the construction described hereinabove it will be seen that provision is made for the assembly of a dump car of sheet metal that may be of lighter gage than is customarily thought feasible. Each end of the car is independently supported on trucks which may follow the track whether it may be on an uneven level as shown in FIGURE 6, or where the wheels on opposite sides are tilted out of the horizontal plane, as shown in FIGURE 2. This latter torsional flexion is also illustrated in FIG URE 1. i

In such distortion, the sides and ends of the car are held together firmly by the corner tie plates 25. However, the side walls are free to flex, as previously described. This freedom of movement is enhanced by using floor plates 26, 26 connected together only at the top edge of center flanges 28, 28 or by using plates 26, 26 with unattached center flanges 28, 28 or by using plates 22, 26 with unattached center flanges 28, 28. When the car is laterally flexed, the flanges 28, 28 will, if connected, bend relatively one to the other or, if unattached, slide relatively one to the other. In this way the extent of lateral flexing of one side of the car is to a great extent independent of the flexing of the opposite side.

This design of car permits travel over an uneven or tilted track section without restraint of the wheels, so that there is no likelihood of derailment. I

Likewise, the particular conformation and fastening of the side and end walls at the top prevents the thin wall members from bulging under the load. This also serves to concentrate the discharge of the material from the car.

In discharge, the load is divided into two portions by the center flanges 28. The large radius curvatures between the bottom plates 26 and the center flanges 28 and the side walls prevent wet or frozen material from being held during discharge.

It will also be apparent that the provision of the indented end wall ribbing 21 and the rigid tie plates 25 reinforces the ends of the car, a very desirable feature should cars bump during coupling. It is also evident that the provision of the inwardly directed rib 21 gives as good reinforcement to the end walls as the generally used box beam reinforcements.

It will also be apparent that the car-body is so formed as to be capable of flexing torsionally to follow uneven railway trackage.

The invention has been illustrated and described in its preferred form. It is, however, understood that the invention may be embodied in structures of diverse material and varied proportions and constructional details within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims,

- WhatIclaimis:

1. A mine car comprising a body having at each end a car bott om' e'nd section and abody end, flexible side panels connecting the end sections and attached to the body ends, corner tie members for the panels and ends, two longitudinal floor plates attached to the body ends and having arcuately upturned integral outer sides attached to the side panels and having contiguous unsecured arcuately upturned center flanges in relatively movable contact, and truck means beneath each end section.

2. A mine car comprising a body having at each end a car bottom end section and a body end, flexible side panels connecting the end sections and rigidly attached to the body ends, channel-shaped floor plates connecting the and sections and attached to the panels, each floor plate formed with a vertical end attached to the adjacent end section, the floor plates having contiguous unsecured arcuately upturned center flanges in relatively movable contact, and truck meansbeneath each end section. 3. A mine car comprising a body having at each end a car bottom end section and a body end, side panels connecting the end sections and attached to the body end, the side panels and ends having aligned outwardy opening generally U-shaped ribs disposed below and paralleling upper terminal edges of said side panels and end, reinforcing tie members located within said ribs only at corners thereof defined by the junctures between adjacent edges of the side panels and ends, generally W-shaped floor plate means attached to the body end and side panels, said floor plate means being defined in part by an inverted V-shaped longitudinally disposed center flange capable of flexing torsionally, said center flange being defined by a pair of longitudinally extending plates diverging downwardly from an apex thereof, and said pair of plates being connected to each other only at the apex thereof whereby the torsional flexing is effected at least in part by bending of thecenter flange plates.

4. The mine car of claim 3 wherein said U-shaped ribs are in part each defined by a vertical portion, and said reinforcing tie members are fixedly secured to said vertical portions at said corners.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,557,136 10/1925 Blest 1 05406 2,131,491 9/1938 Johnson et al. 364 2,473,946 6/1949 Hammers trom 1054l4 2,633,089 3/1953 Flowers 105-364 XR 2,699,733 1/1955 FlOWCtS -105364 XR 2,789,739 4/1957 Aller 105247 XR 3,064,837 11/1962 Manney 21483.36 3,127,851 4/1964 Auksel 105248 3,185,325 5/1965 Stalker et al. 21483.36 3,240,168 3/1966 Charles et al. 105-406 ARTHUR L. LAPOINTQPr'imary Examiner. DRAYTQN E. HOFFMAN, Examiner. 

